Fear is an Illusion
by ShadowDragon-24
Summary: She was an odd one, Dante would admit, but that didn't mean she didn't need help. Demon or not, she was running and, if he hadn't been around, she wouldn't even be alive. The night they met, she was paranoid out of her mind...would he be able to help? CH4
1. An Unexpected Savior

_**Fear Is an Illusion**_

**Disclaimer:** I Don't Own _Devil May Cry_ in Any Way. It is Rightfully Owned and Copyrighted to Capcom.

**Rating:** PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Blood, Gore, and Certain Themes.

**A/N:** YOU MUST READ THIS!! First off, I want to clarify that this will be my first Devil May Cry fic :D secondly, this will be based off mostly THE ANIME!! Yes, there is an anime of only 12 episodes but those 12 episodes pwned XD this fic, of which, will take place after the events of 12 said episodes ;) and **will** have spoilers here and there. Finally, no pairings within the anime itself; this is a DanteOC story :P that will become a series. (Yes, I'm that obsessed XD) My reasons being that any possible parings within the anime rub me in the wrong way XP so, if you don't like DanteOC, I suggest you don't read T.T I don't want any complaints or flames XP anyway, if we're all good and OK with this, I hope whoever reads does enjoy. Also, if anyone wishes to see which OC I will be using, she will be described, of course, but I also have pics of her in my DeviantART gallery ;) I will be uploading a new one of her soon. A link to my profile can be found here on my ffnet profile.

D—M—C

_**Mission 1:**_ _An Unexpected Savior_

This was the last and only place she _didn't_ want to be in; the cemetery, and in the middle of the night, at that. Especially in her position; she couldn't afford to be around here but it was already too late. She was now running for her dear life as she panted and hoped desperately that the creatures following her would tire out. But she knew better than that; they came straight from the depths of hell and were ordered to get a job done; they won't stop until they're killed themselves or their job is complete. She had no choice but to keep running; as strong as she could be, she was far too full of doubt.

The young girl's waist-long, snow-white hair with two streaks at each side, left being a bright icy-blue while the right was a bright purple, was whipping about her body as her feet pounded on the floor as her heart pounded in her chest. The same went for her unusual bangs; the left one was rather short but was made of the two colors of the two streaks in her hair; the right one was wavy and a full-on hot pink and reached below her chin. She had pale skin and her wide eyes were an icy-cold blue while her left eye had a scar from top to bottom from a currently unknown injury…or perhaps attack.

She knew she was in hot water the moment she was summoned to the human world; she was never like other demons and she was one of very few with her ability. Even so, when she was accidentally summoned onto the Earth, she promised herself she'd never go back to hell. She'd suffered too much to go back and just wanted to stay in this world. But that was difficult; she was fairly well-equipped with skills of combat, everything from CQC to weapon usage, and defending herself, which was why she was extremely valuable. While she was in hell, she was in training. Demons were hunting her because, from what she understood, there was a reward for whoever returned her to her place.

She kept running, jumping over tombstones and dodging others completely. The black utility belt at her hip clicked as her legs hit against it; she had only been in this world for a few weeks but the weapons at her hips had been with her ever since she had started training when she was younger. However, she couldn't use them; unlike most demons, she had heart and believed in emotions and feelings. This was what made her different from others. This and her ability that she knew not how to control. If she killed these demons, she'd just be seen as a traitor to her kind.

That plane flew when she decided to stick around in the human world but, if she started killing, she would be hunted even more so they could really put her in her place. Torture didn't really sound like her cup of tea at the moment.

She continued running. Running and panting desperately for breath; that was all she could do. Eventually, she gratefully made it out of the cemetery and to a sidewalk. However, she was wide-open for attack now. She kept pounding her long combat boot-covered legs on the pavement. She made it to a staircase. She didn't know where it lead and she could care less. Jumping several steps of the stairs, she continued on her path. The staircase would occasionally switch from steps to solid and then back again.

Once she reached the last set of stairs, she tried to jump them. However, luck didn't seem to want to be in her favor; her landing was anything but perfect. Once her legs hit harshly, her nerves weakened significantly, causing the rest of her legs to do the same. She slid on her arms and slightly nicked her face as well as the upper part of her legs. She was now lying fully on her stomach and was in pain.

Forcing herself to lean up on her elbows, she looked up and ahead with shaky eyes. Slowly, she managed to get to her knees and, eventually, her legs. Shakily, she tried to take another step but failed as one of her legs had failed on her. She fell right back down and got to her knees again.

"Damn it," she muttered, her voice coarse and tired. She, once again, tried standing but, now, her arms failed on her and she fell on her stomach again. She shrugged, obviously in pain, and then heard the sound of growling, coming closer.

_Shit,_ she thought. _They're going to get me…I can't move like this…_she slid herself over to the wall at her left and tried using the railing there as a support. As she was in the process of getting to her feet, a figure flew overhead, making the young woman gasp at the silhouette. From the shine of the thin slit of the moon above, she saw about three things glinting. Next thing she knew, the form landed on bent legs behind her.

Looking over her shoulder to the newcomer, she half-expected it to be a demon in disguise. However, it stood up fully and looked over its shoulder. She could tell this was a male by the way his face and body in general looked. With steely-blue eyes, he smiled at her gently. Her eyes widened at the friendliness she could see in that small smile.

"Stay back," his voice was young in sound but stern and also kind. "And brace yourself." He pulled a large pistol next to his face and his grin widened as he looked back to the direction of the demons coming. Soon, they arrived, their red and yellow eyes glowing and the sound of low growling. Some of them had faces made of skulls of creatures or humans while others had stiff fur about their collars. They roared at the sight before them and immediately went in to attack the young man.

Whoever he was, he was skilled. He jumped up in the air just before the monsters could sink their teeth into him. The white-haired girl kept her eyes on him. She saw the newcomer pull out another pistol; it was dark, almost black, steel in contrary to the silver one he already had. The steely-eyed young man aimed the guns and fired multiple shots. The young woman strained slightly from the loudness those two pistols were causing. However, it was a sound she also welcomed as she was used to it and it was currently saving her, as far as she was concerned.

As the man fell to the ground, expertly on his legs, once again, he quickly put away his guns and reached over his shoulder for a long sword that resided on his back. Once he had it, he ran towards the beasts sliced most of them in half, letting their blood come onto the long, silver blade and on the wall and floor. Once he was sure he was finished, he quickly swiped his blade into thin air, causing the blood upon his blade to fly off completely and shoot itself to the wall with great force.

Whoever he was, he was also extremely strong. He allowed his neck-long silver hair to hang in front of his eyes as he pulled the sword over his shoulder once more and locked it on his back. The snow-white-haired girl sighed, obviously relieved that someone had come to help her. Suddenly, the pile of bodies that the man had killed off burned away and became ashes. From nowhere, however, a new demon appeared.

From the sky, a rather large winged demon with the face of some kind of reptile and that body of a bird was diving down towards the demon girl. She gasped again and braced herself for the pain that would undoubtedly come. However, it never did; she heard a loud gunshot, causing her to open one eye and then both. The creature was standing before her on its bird-like legs while the wings on its back were spread out wide. She saw blood fall and saw that it was coming from a hole in the thing's head.

It fell to its right side and the body burned away like the others. Holding onto the railing with a death-grip, the young woman panted hard for breath and then looked to the mysterious stranger who had helped her. She saw him walking towards her and she couldn't help but smile slightly but gratefully at him.

"Thank you," she told him quietly. The sound of his boots came closer until he was close enough for her to see his front completely. If she wasn't mistaken, he stood at least six feet tall and was wearing mostly red clothing. His boots were knee-high and black with a small heel. As stated, he had steel-blue eyes and silver hair. Why did that suddenly feel so familiar to her, however?

_Silver hair…blue eyes…why does this feel so bad?_ As friendly as he seemed, something was suddenly telling her to run. However, she had no choice as her legs were still too injured to let her move.

"No problem," he said back to her suddenly. "Lucky you I was around." She nodded at him, silently agreeing with him. Who knows what would've happened if he hadn't shown up.

"Is there something wrong with your leg?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I fell and I can't seem to stand on my feet; they're injured," she explained to him nervously. She then couldn't take it anymore. After a short pause, she looked up to his face.

"Who are you?" she asked anxiously, wondering if the answer was good or bad. He grinned at her slightly.

"Dante and you would be?" Dante…that name…it sent cold, _cold_ shivers down the girl's spine.

"Dante? As in….son of Sparda Dante?" she asked, hoping desperately that he wasn't. He gave her another smile.

"I see you've heard of me." The young girl's eyes bugged out and let go of the railing immediately and forced herself away from the red-coated man.

"Get away form me!" she demanded. He gave her an odd look.

"Strange way to thank a guy that just saved you," Dante said as he tried to take a step closer but stopped when the girl pulled out a gun from the holster on the left side of her hip from her utility belt and pointed it at him. His eyes widened slightly; why was she packing artillery like_that?_ It was a black gun with a long barrel and reddish, mahogany on the handle. It had some words written on the side in gold but he couldn't really make them out.

"Stay _back!_" she seethed through gritted teeth. "I know very well who you are! You're a demon-hunter; you're just as bad as those damn things that were following me! Someone sent you, didn't they? Tell me, _who sent you!?_" she demanded angrily while sending icy daggers in his direction. There was a pause that felt like forever before it passed. "_Answer me!_" Dante looked at her impassively.

"No one sent me for anything; I was just passing through," he stated solemnly.

"Liar!" she said heatedly at him while tightening her grip on her weapon. "Now answer me, or so help me, I'll shoot!" her voice was nervous. Dante could tell she was bluffing slightly; her hands were trembling but the anger in her eyes was fresh and burned. It was fueled by paranoia. He wondered what could've made her so edgy and why would she suspect that somebody had sent him to her. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and gave her a lopsided grin. This only added to the white-haired girl's apprehension.

"Put the gun down, babe," he said with a humorous sound to his voice. The young girl widened her eyes but then glared again. He continued. "I think we both know you're not going to shoot me." The girl growled at him irately.

"That's what you think!" she said back and pulled the trigger. The sound of a single gunshot cracked in the air around them. Once the sound died, she looked up and widened her eyes nervously; her bullet had only grazed his left cheek, creating a small line across his features and making blood quickly flow down to his chin. A cynical smile appeared on Dante's face. Before the young woman could blink, he pulled out both of his guns and had them aimed straight towards her head. Her icy-blue irises grew small at the sight.

Wind blew around them; making Dante's coat whip around his legs and making the white hair on the girl's head do the same in front of her face and eyes. As wide as her eyes were, they soon fell half-lidded and her blue orbs rolled into the back of her head as darkness consumed her and she fell to her left side, unconscious. Her gun slipped out of her fingers and lay just a few inches from her hands. Dante's grin faded and he put his weapons back in place. He had never intended to shoot her but his bluffs were far more intimidating than hers.

He walked up to the girl's body before kneeling down before her. Reaching down to her face, he gently lifted her eyelid and let it fall. He saw that the pupil's of her eyes were shaped like diamonds.

_What a weird demon,_ he thought to himself. _She's not willing to hide what she really is._Nevertheless, he grabbed her gun and put it back in her holster before grabbing his sword and sending it off so that his back could be free. Then, picking up the young girl's body, he slung her onto his back so that her arms were around his neck and he could carry her legs around his waist. Her head rested against the back of his neck as he carried her. He could feel her body against the rest of his back, as well as the utility belt at her hips.

Dante laughed mentally in spite of everything; this was the closest he had gotten to a woman, considering all the ones he met actually stayed awake and tried to kill him. However, once comfortable with how he was carrying her, he began walking.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he said, his voice soft as he used a possibly temporary pet-name on her, even though she probably couldn't hear a word he was saying. "I'm not trying to kill you." It began to drizzle and eventually rain fully.

"Otherwise, you'd be dead by now."

D—M—C

"Dante really is taking a long time," Patty complained worriedly as she looked out one of the windows of _Devil May Cry_ as rain trickled down it. Her light blonde bangs hung slightly in front of her blue eyes as she somewhat pouted over Dante's lateness. Morrison was sitting at Dante's desk, reading one of the demon-hunter's magazines. He flipped a page before replying to the young one who was staying here for a few days or so.

"I'm sure he's fine, Patty, he can take care of himself," he said nonchalantly as he continued reading. The blonde-headed Patty sighed, slightly saddened as she turned away from the window and walked up to Dante's sofa and sat down, holding her chin in her hands. She knew very well that the half-breed could take good care of himself but she couldn't help but worry; she had almost lost him once already and that wasn't a feeling she wanted to relive.

"It's not like him to take so long with his walks, though…" she mumbled, more to herself than anyone else. As if on cue, the door to the office shot open, making Patty gasp slightly and Morrison look up from what he was reading. They could see Dante but, from the form over his back, they could tell he wasn't alone.

"Dante, what'd you bring!?" Morrison asked, obviously surprised. The half-breed entered, soaking wet, and managed to close the door behind him with his foot. Patty saw water dripping down from Dante's coat, as well as whatever it was he was carrying.

"Dante, I just mopped today!" she whined, obviously aggravated.

"Shh!" Dante demanded, making the girl look at him curiously. "Can't you see she's resting?" he asked, apparently indicating to who he was carrying. After closer inspection, Dante's manager and child friend realized that he had a young woman on his back. He walked up to the sofa, telling Patty to move over. She obliged and stood up before the demon-hunter placed the white-haired girl upon the couch.

The young Patty came to the girl's side and hovered over her, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. Morrison's intrigue also seemed to take over; he closed the magazine he was reading and stood up to walk up to Dante. He came up to the silver-haired young man's side and looked down at the girl he had brought in. He cocked his head to one side at her odd style and design.

Her shirt was icy-blue like the steak on the left side of her hair while the hood of it that it apparently had was made up of pink and purple. Her upper left arm had a golden bracelet while, at the wrist of her right arm, she had a black one. Her chest had two black belts criss-crossing her, and her hips had similar belts except one had a gun holster on each side. Surprisingly, she was wearing a black mini-skirt. Her left hand had bandages wrapped about her hand in white, ice-blue, purple, and pink and there was another holster on the thigh of her left leg, the same color as her belts. She had black knee-high combat boots with double belts at the top of each. Her right ankle had thin, black bracelets around it over her boots.

"Dante, you certainly know how to find them…" he said, half humorously, half sarcastically. Every woman this man seemed to meet was odd in one way or another. Trish, for example, was a she-devil who looked like his dead mother. Lady, the woman he still owed some money to, was also a demon-hunter but carried around artillery that would surprise even an army general. Dante shrugged at the man's attempt to crack a joke at the situation.

"She's not a date, Morrison," he said dryly.

"If she was, I'd actually have to call the police on _you._ What the heck you do to her?" the brunette man questioned, locking a hip to one side and putting his hand in his pocket. Dante looked to Patty before replying.

"Patty, go get her a towel and something to keep her warm," he told the young girl. She gave him a curious look before nodding and quickly walking to the backroom. The demon-hunter turned back to his agent.

"She's a demon," he stated. "She was being chased when I found her holding onto a hand-railing to try and stand. I popped in and killed off the demons," Morrison barely flinched; ever since Dante had become his client, he had gotten well-accustomed to the strange stories he would often bring with him. The young man continued. "After, she asked me who I was and freaked out when I told her; she pulled out a gun and, thanks to her, I now have scratch on my face." He pointed to the tiny gash on his face, no caringly. "She thought somebody had sent me to get her."

"Well, that _is_ your job, Dante," Morrison clarified seriously. "People hire you to take down demons, last time I checked, anyway," he explained.

"Still, aside form the guns, she seems harmless enough." Dante looked down to the young woman and then looked to her artillery. He bent down and put his hands around her hips.

"Dante, you're not alone here, you know," Morrison said, slightly suggestively. Dante looked to the man and glared with his blue eyes.

"That's not what I was doing," he clarified immediately. Morrison swore he heard the silver-haired man mutter 'perv' irately under a breath as he turned back to the demon girl. "I'm getting these guns off of her before she wakes up and possibly try to kill us; she missed me but we may not be so lucky the second time around. No one carries around a gun like what I saw unless they know how to use it." Morrison mentally agreed; if Dante said the gun she had was powerful, then it was best to agree.

Dante unbuckled the girl's utility belt and then did the same to the holster at her thigh. Standing up once more, he turned towards his desk.

"Besides," he said. "I want to see what else she's got on her." Morrison sighed and shook his head; there was no denying that Dante was a detective, that's for sure. In that moment, Patty walked back into the room carrying a folded white towel and a blue blanket in her arms.

"I got what you asked for, Dante," she said aloud so that he would hear. Dante placed the weapons on his desk and went up to the young girl who had walked up to the demon girl again. Grabbing the towel, he placed it over her and left the rest to Patty. The young blonde, of which, dried the woman a little and then spread the blanket over her and continued watching her as she had done earlier. She cocked her head at the girl's oddness.

Dante sat at his desk and grabbed the belt and holster. He decided he would start with the holster. It was fairly small, leading him to believe that the contents were the same. Opening it, he pulled out a small pistol, possibly a 40-calliber or close. It was black with its upper barrel silver. He held it in his hand, simply looking at it and even admiring the fine work of it. For a small caliber, it was fairly powerful.

Making sure the safety was on; he slipped it back into its holster, closed it, and put it aside. He then put his attention on the utility belt. Sliding it over so that it was in front of him, he looked it over. There were six holding pockets in total on it; a large gun holster at each side, a long but not wide pocket next to them leading to the center, and two wide but small pockets next to each other at the center. It was perfectly aligned so that the wearer would have all their artillery behind them and their guns at their sides, within reach. Unlike Lady's, its pockets only wrapped around the person about halfway.

He reached to the holster at the left and opened it. Pulling out the weapon, his eyes widened; this was much like the double gun set he, himself, had. Finally able to get a better look, he read the words on the side that were written in gold. _Sin & Virtue_ it read. If he knew his stuff right, the black one which he held was Sin. He placed it on his desk and pulled out the other one; it was silver with a much lighter pine wood upon its handle.

"Interesting," he said a she placed it down. Morrison shot him a curious look.

"What is?" he questioned.

"She has three guns on her; two, of which, are of a set, like mine," the half-breed explained. He continued shuffling through her supplies; in the two long pockets he found ammo and, in the smaller ones, he found some ammo and just a handful of cherry bombs. The explosives seemed to be a last resort; nothing more than accessories.

"I wonder where she got her hands on this stuff…and why would those demons have been chasing her?" he asked, mostly thinking aloud.

Patty continued watching the young demon as if waiting for her to do something. Eventually, her hopes were answered as she saw her begin to move her head around a bit. Widening her eyes, the blonde looked to Dante.

"Um, she's moving a bit," she stated. Morrison and Dante looked before the demon-hunter stood up quickly towards her. His eyes widened and tensed slightly.

"Patty, get away from her," he practically growled out this demand; who knew how strong that demon was _without_ her artillery. Patty's own eyes widened a bit and she carefully stepped away and eventually ran towards Dante and then stood behind him while keeping her eyes on the young woman. The she-devil, of which, began shaking her eyes and they eventually opened, half-lidded. She sat up and put a hand to her head. She moved her eyes about, looking about her surroundings.

"Where am I?" she asked, mostly to herself. Her eyes un-blurred and they were met with the steely eyes that had saved her. She widened her eyes and quickly put her hands to her hip but her fingers only met her belt. Apprehensively, her eyes widened again and she looked down, surprised that she was stripped of her protection. She growled as she looked back to the three people looking back at her.

Taking note of her weapons on a desk next to Dante, she glared at the half-breed.

"How _dare_ you take my weapons!?" she demanded heatedly. He said nothing to her and kept his face serious. Then, boldly, he began walking up to her. Patty watched him nervously.

"Dante," she cried out silently but this didn't slow him down. The demon-girl tensed and flashed her perfectly sharpened fangs at him as she hissed. She was certainly demon; just the way she growled and hissed like an offended animal gave it away. Dante stopped halfway and removed his coat, letting it fall to the ground at his feet. Then, to prove he meant her no harm, he removed his weapons and carefully placed them on the ground before advancing towards her. He noticed her tension begin to fade.

Fearlessly, he sat at the other end of the sofa and stared into her icy-blue eyes with his steely ones. It was as if, with just their stares, they could read each other's mind. Dante practically stared into her soul with his the blue eyes that resided behind his silver bangs. Eventually, the young woman's tension was gone completely and she stayed silent.

"What's your name?" Dante asked her; his voice was solemn but somehow still filled with a friendliness and kindness that the girl couldn't comprehend. She paused before replying as she simply stared into those amazing blue eyes of his.

"My name is…" she trailed off for only a moment.

"Lexica."

D—M—C

**A/N:** :D OK, yeah, I know; not too much (if any) DanteOC stuff but, remember, it just started ;) this is a series that I will continue soon ;D so, please, R&R, no flames, and thanks!


	2. Detective Work, Part I

_**Fear Is an Illusion**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own_ Devil May Cry_ in Any Way. It is Rightfully Owned and Copyrighted to Capcom.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Blood, Gore, and Certain Themes.

**A/N: **Teehee, I told you guys I'd write more :D Hope you like

D—M—C

_**Mission 2: **__Detective Work, Part I_

"Lexica, huh?" Dante asked, his voice filled with his usual laid-back attitude as his eyes closed and he smiled. Lexica's eyes widened slightly for a moment and she looked up to his face.

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Well then, Lexica," Dante said, looking up back up to her with half-lidded eyes. "I hope you don't mind if I ask you a couple of questions." He noticed that the tension the white-haired girl had previously now returned once again. Her eyes stressed as she, herself, seemed to go on edge and a growl escaped from her mouth. Her fists clenched tightly as her eyes narrowed upon him.

"I don't trust you; how do I know you're not gonna use whatever information I give you against me?" her voice had previous paranoia and anger in it. This truly made Dante wonder what had been done to this demon to make her so unforgiving and angry. He knew demons were usually like this but this one was different; she wasn't trying to kill him for his blood nor had she tried to attack Morrison or Patty. Another demon would've used the two against him if they got the chance. But she, aside from her oddly shaped pupil's, could be passed off for a human with odd taste. But, then again, so could a lot of other demon's out there.

"I put my guns on the ground, didn't I?" Dante asked back as he leaned his back on the arm rest and brought up a leg onto the sofa. "You were much less nervous when I did that…so what's wrong now?" he questioned. His eyes felt like they were staring into her soul again, even from behind the strands of silver hair that hung in front of them. Lexica's were cold as she stared into those eyes but she realized that he was right. When he had bent down to put his guns on the ground, she had felt her tension reduce.

However, just because someone gave up their defense, didn't mean they were trustworthy. For all she knew, he could be bullshitting her; tricking her to believe he was kind and whatnot. He was just like everyone else he had met in this Godforsaken world; there was no exception. He was just waiting until her guard was down to try and hurt her, one way or another. Her eyes tensed at these thoughts and she could feel the growl in her throat becoming louder and more intimidating. Dante took notice of this and tensed slightly; what was she thinking of?

"You're just like everyone else, you sorry bastard!" she stood up and yelled angrily, shaking a fist at him. Morrison widened his eyes at the girl's language. Grabbing Patty by her arm, he shuffled out of the office towards the backroom, leaving this argument to the half-breed and demon-girl. "You're just waiting for the opportune moment to hurt me…no one in this world seems to do anything but that when I show up!" she screamed, tears almost ready to come out from behind her eyes. Dante seemed unfazed as he simply let her take her anger out on him.

However, his silence angered Lexica further. Growling, she looked at him with cold eyes.

"You fucking _bastard!_" she yelled before turning on a heel towards his front door. She could care less that she didn't have her guns; it really didn't matter to her anymore, considering she couldn't hurt anyone with them. She'd rather die at the hand of a demon than waste another second with anyone from this world. Her feet stomped on the floor beneath her as she huffed out aggravated breaths through her nostrils. She hated everything and everyone. Even if he had saved her, Dante was a half-breed; as cold-hearted as a demon and as hurtful as a human. Why should she waste her time with him?

She reached the door. Before she could reach for the handle, however, she felt a hand grab her right shoulder. Her eyes widening heatedly, she resisted immediately and tried to pull away. Whoever it was, they were strong, though.

"Let _go!_" she demanded.

"Where do you think you're going, babe?" it was Dante's voice who had asked he this in a somewhat sarcastic manner.

"Away from you!" she replied, still trying desperately to get out of his strong grip. However, she was growing tired and her arm felt like it was going to be ripped out of its socket. For a half-breed, he was strong. He let her arm go once he realized that her resistance had finally given in. When he did, Lexica grabbed her shoulder in an attempt to make the pain go away. Gently, Dante put an arm on her other shoulder, causing her to look up to him, glaring.

"Take a seat and let me ask you some questions; I'll decide what to do with you then." That undefined friendliness and kindness was once again in his voice but it was a bit stronger than before; the stern part of him was now missing as he offered a smile. Looking away and glaring at the floor, Lexica hung her head before nodding once. That smile made her wonder how she could yell at him and doubt that he would want to help her.

"Fine," she muttered quietly. Dante led her back to the sofa and sat her down where she had been previously. Then, he, too, sat down as he was before.

"Alright, Lexica," he began. "Let's start with your artillery over there," he pointed over his shoulder to the weapons of hers on his desk. "Where'd you get them?" he questioned. Lexica sighed silently.

"Training facility; they assigned only one gun to most but they gave me those two, _Sin & Virtue_, plus the 48-calliber; they said I was going to be put into 'special' training," she replied as she crossed her arms heatedly and waited for his next question.

"You're a demon," Dante stated. "What training facility would this be? One in hell or one on Earth?" he questioned her sternly. There was a pause.

"Hell," she replied finally. "Only some demons are chosen to get in; they're trained to be 'The Fallen Angel's Army.' More like lackeys, if you ask me," she explained bitterly. Dante raised a brow at this. The Fallen Angel's Army? If that was the case, of all the possible demons, why would Lexica get 'special' training? What unknown abilities did she possess?

"Alright then…how about you tell me a bit about yourself; when did you training start? History, what kind of training, and any other weapons you may have. Tell me anything," Dante said to her, his interest perking slightly. The she-devil before him widened her eyes slightly and thought back. She had a horrifying past…would she really give it up so easily to this half-breed? She held herself tightly as the memories flooded into her mind like a nightmare. Her diamond-shaped pupil's shrunk in size, as did her irises as the flashbacks kept coming and wouldn't stop.

Dante noticed her young body begin to shake, making his brow raise again. Then, suddenly—

"Stop!" she yelled out as her hands shot up to grasp her scalp. Leaning forward, her bangs shadowed her eyes from view as her nails practically engraved themselves into her head. She cared not if this caused blood to flow or not. "The memories…I…can't…oh please, go away!" she mumbled nervously, her voice and body shaking. Dante noticed two teardrops fall from her face onto the leather sofa she was sitting on.

_What in the world did they_ **do** _to her?_ He asked himself apprehensively. There was only one time he had seen another demon cry but this was unbelievable. Morrison and Patty walked in from the backroom, their expressions saying that they were surprised. Patty widened her eyes upon seeing the girl crying and Morrison was just as stunned as Dante was.

"Lexica," Dante finally decided to say softly. "Uh…Calm down…you don't have to say anything else if you don't want to or if you…just can't," he explained, hoping this would stop her from crying. As strong as he is, he just couldn't stand the sight of a girl in pain in any way, shape, or form. He tried to hide it usually but he had never seen someone breakdown from simply thinking of their past. Whatever they had done to her must've been pretty harsh to have such horrid effects on a full-fledge demon.

D—M—C

Dante kept Lexica under his custody that night. He still had questions he wanted to ask and had taken an interest in her. Having nowhere to let her sleep, she insisted the sofa would be fine. Reluctantly, he let her stay there for the night, hoping her close proximity to the door wouldn't give her any ideas to leave. And that the loneliness wouldn't scare her. Luckily, the night was passed with no real damage; a few stray murmurs and mutterings in her sleep but that was the worst.

The next morning, Dante got out of bed and walked downstairs to his office, wearing his usual knee-high black boots, red pants with the double black straps on his right thigh, and red vest over black long-sleeved shirt. He was holding his red coat over his shoulder and Lexica's belongings in his other hand. He had told her he would hold onto them until he, himself, could trust that she wouldn't hurt anyone with them. From the second floor, he looked down to Lexica, who was sleeping soundly on the sofa. He silently thanked goodness that she was still there before walking down the stairs.

Walking behind the sofa, he looked over the demon-girl. Just like Patty, she could look cute when she wanted to. Or rather, when she _didn't_ want to, considering she was asleep and didn't even know. Her right leg lay completely outstretched on the sofa while her other one was bent below her chest. She was using her left arm as a pillow and her other hand lay next to her face, hiding her mouth from view. Her hair was a little messy, undoubtedly from unknowingly moving during the night, and some of it was strewn about her face. And her face…she looked the exact opposite of what she was.

He smiled in spite of the events that took place the night before. He hoped that she would feel a little better today. The door to the backroom opened suddenly and Dante looked towards its direction. The young Patty stepped in, her blonde hair messy from sleep and her pink and blue-decorated pajamas tousled from sleep. She rubbed her eyes and then yawned silently and cutely.

"Morning Dante," she said as she smiled and looked at him with tired, half-lidded eyes. Dante stifled a chuckle; this was the girl's usual appearance every morning and it amazed him that, no matter many times she yawned and greeted him in that cute way in the morning, he'd just want to laugh and smile. Even if he didn't show it very often, he was very grateful to have Patty around and have her still visiting her even after being reunited with her mother. Not only that but, if she _didn't_ visit, his office would be a pig sty; she would clean up all his messes and, the best part was, he didn't have to pay her.

"Good morning, Patty," he said back to her finally before walking over to his desk. Patty's bare feet padded over the floor beneath her as she walked over in front of Lexica on the couch. Dante put his coat and Lexica's guns upon his desk before sitting down, grabbing one of his magazines, leaning back, and bringing up his feet up on his desk as he always did. He began reading from the magazine he had chosen, not totally paying attention; he'd just put it over his face and probably fall into a light sleep soon anyway.

The blonde Patty was looking over Lexica as she slept. She wasn't entirely sure what she thought of the girl, considering she saw two sides of her the night before. She could get angry and tense, calling people names and hissing and growling at them. But she also had a weak side; she was crying and that had torn Patty's heart out. The sound of her sobs as she clenched onto her scalp was an image that was still fresh in her mind. She cocked her head to one side.

Through his peripheral, Dante could see his little friend staring at their demonic guest curiously. He looked towards her, cocking an eyebrow.

"What are you up to?" he asked. Pausing for a moment, Patty looked back to him.

"Just looking, I guess…" she replied. Dante shrugged.

"Just be careful; you never know when she'll suddenly wake up and if she has attitude when she wakes," he stated, continuing to read his magazine. It was silent as he read the article in his hands. A minute passed and he flipped the page.

"She kind of reminds me of you," Patty said suddenly in a quiet voice. Dante's eyes widened for only a moment before he looked to the little blonde.

"What?" he asked as his voice expressed that he was confused. Why would Lexica remind Patty of himself?

"When you sleep," Patty said as she looked up to him with a smile on her face. "You look cute and vulnerable, too." Dante tried his hardest to hide a blush. Patty walked around the sofa and walked back into the backroom. "I'm gonna go change and get ready for today," she said before closing the door behind her. Looking to one side, Dante brought the magazine back up to his face and continued reading, forcing away what the young girl had just told him.

It was silent for a few moments before, suddenly, the front door opened. Dante looked up from his reading to see Lady had entered. She was wearing her usual short, white, button-up shirt with black shorts and knee-high boots. Of course, she had her utility belt at her hip. Walking in and closing the door behind her, her eyes immediately landed on Lexica's sleeping body.

"It's not like you to hold on to some one for longer than a day, except for Patty," she said sarcastically as she walked up to the demon-girl and examined her.

'What do you want, Lady?" the half-breed asked plainly, keeping his eyes on the woman.

"I'm here to collect, of course," she told him as she stood upright and put her hands at her hips.

"I have no money; this week's been slow," Dante replied with some bitterness to his voice. Lady looked form Dante to the weapons on his desk. Raising a brow curiously, her arms fell to her side and she walked to his desk. With her double-colored eyes, she stared at the holster and utility belt before reaching to them.

"New toys?' she asked as she was about to grab them. Before she could, however, Dante grabbed the supplies and glared.

"They're not mine," he told her sternly. Lady seemed to pout as she crossed her arms.

"Who _else's_ could they be, Dante?" she asked, obviously not believing him as she locked a hip to one side. The demon-hunter sensed her disbelief and smiled. Using his thumb, he pointed over to Lexica. Lady looked in the direction and widened her eyes.

"Seriously?" she asked as she, once again, walked up to the girl's body. "Well then, who is she?" she asked.

"You mean _what_ is she," Dante clarified. "She's not human; she's a demon," he stated bluntly as he continued reading. Lady widened her eyes again and turned to face the man.

"Demon? Than why is she _sleeping_ on _your_ couch? I thought you killed demons," she asked, obviously surprised that he would harbor a demon within his home. Aside from Trish, this was fairly odd; Dante didn't usually make friends with evil.

"She's different," the half-breed replied as he looked up from his magazine. "I actually found her being chased by demons and helped her out," he explained and then told her what had happened afterwards and why she was in his office, sleeping.

"So," Lady said. "Doesn't she have anywhere to go?" she questioned the young man curiously. Dante shrugged quietly.

"That's what I'm gonna try and find out today."

D—M—C

**A/N: **I'm having fun writing these :D anyway, please R&R, no flames ;) thanks!


	3. Detective Work, Part II

_**Fear Is an Illusion**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own_ Devil May Cry_ in Any Way. It is Rightfully Owned and Copyrighted to Capcom.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Blood, Gore, and Certain Themes.

**A/N: **Yay for the third chapter! :D

**WARNING: **Minor spoilers to the very last episode of _Devil May Cry _:)

D—M—C

_**Mission 3:**_ _Detective Work, Part II_

Lady shrugged and crossed her arms before looking over to Lexica, who still lay sleeping soundly on Dante's red couch. Huffing out a breath and then looking back to the silver-haired demon-hunter, she finally spoke.

"Good luck then and I expect some money next time I visit," she told him and then took her leave. The young man shrugged irately.

"You'll get your damn money when I get some clients," he said heatedly before throwing Lexica's belongings back on his desk and continuing to read his magazine. Lady shrugged, obviously ignoring him, before heading to the door and finally leaving _Devil May Cry_ completely. Dante huffed out a breath of annoyance, causing a few silver strands of his hair to rise and then fall back in their place. How he hated that his last job that Morrison had gotten him, the demon outbreaks in the other country, hadn't been able to pay fully for his debt to Lady. He just needed a couple thousand more dollars and he could get her off his back. He sighed and looked over to his guest.

In that moment, Patty finally walked out from the back room, wearing something casual; a very rare occurrence. She was wearing a simple pair of brown pants and a white button-shirt tucked into her pants with black shoes. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail. From her attire, Dante could easily tell that the young girl would most likely be staying home to watch some television and catch up on some of her favorite soap operas. He rolled his eyes at her slightly before turning his attention back to Lexica.

He needed to get some information out of her but he also needed to make her less edgy towards him. He smiled as he quickly thought of something and stood up. Patty walked by as he grabbed his red coat and pulled his arms through the sleeves. Also getting the devil-girl's belongings, he walked up to Lexica. The young Patty was already hovering over the girl like an expectant puppy begging for food. Dante wasn't the type to wait, however.

"Lexica, get up!" he ordered as he gently kneed the girl on her folded leg. Lexica jumped slightly from the unexpected yet gentle hit. Her icy-blue eyes fluttered open and she looked up to her awakener. She had a confused face as her eyes were somewhat red from sleep and were half-lidded. Her vision un-blurring, she scowled slightly.

"Why?" she asked irately.

"Because, we're not done," Dante replied plainly. The demon raised a brow at him. "You didn't finish answering my questions." Lexica's eyes widened as the memories of the night before poured into her mind and she growled.

"Ugh," she whined as she sat up. "Fine." She stood up and stretched out her body, causing a few bones to crack comfortingly in the process. She yawned and then quickly fixed her hair, which she could feel was somewhat messy. Once feeling she was accomplished with that task, she looked to Dante and immediately took note of the fact that he was holding her equipment in his left hand. She glared up at him and growled lowly. Dante, feeling her hostility, explained.

"You'll get them back when I get my information," he said sternly. The young woman huffed out a breath and nodded once. "Follow me," Dante then ordered as he headed towards the door. Sighing, Lexica obeyed and was right on his trail.

D—M—C

The white-haired she-devil looked up to the place Dante had taken her. It was a small building with a red roof and a sign over it that read 'Frank's Diner.' She could smell something tasty all around this area and it suddenly made her stomach growl. Shrugging, she held her empty tummy; she hadn't eaten proper food ever since she had left hell and the smell of such delicious scents was taking a toll on her. She hoped that Dante didn't plan to go inside this 'Frank's Diner.'

However, that was exactly the half-breed's intent. He and Lexica walked into the small building, a small bell ringing as Dante opened the door. Lexica shrugged to herself as she walked in behind him. Walking to a small booth, Dante sat down and his guest did the same, sitting across from him. He watched her momentarily; her hands met at her lap and she seemed anxious as she kept her head hung low.

"You OK?" he asked her. She jumped a little but he noticed that she kept her head hung low. She let out a breath before pulling a bit of hair over her shoulder and playing with it nervously.

"Fine…" she mumbled, her eyes straying to every nook and cranny of the restaurant and meeting everything but Dante's eyes. Just then, however, her stomach growled; her wide, blue eyes widened and she even blushed slightly. The half-breed in front of her smiled.

"You sound like you haven't eaten anything in days," he told her teasingly. The demon shrugged and looked out the window at their side, biting down, gently, on her lip and continuing to play with her white hair. Her reaction surprised Dante a bit as his eyes widened. "You…_haven't_ eaten anything, have you?" he interrogated quietly so that only she could hear his soft voice. Her eyes fell.

"Depends what you call a decent meal, I suppose…" she responded just as quietly. Before he could question this further, however, Cindy, the diner's waitress with short, brunette hair and a pink, skimpy outfit on skates, came up to the two of them, with one menu in hand, a cheery smile playing on her face.

"Morning Dante!" she greeted the half-breed happily. She then looked to Lexica and offered the girl a smile. "Morning to you, too!" she addressed kindly. The demon-girl looked up slightly and smiled, silently thanking the woman for her kindness. The waitress handed her a menu and then looked back to Dante. "The usual for you, Dante?" she asked playfully. The demon-hunter smiled.

"Sure, sounds great," he responded, his voice laid-back and comfy. Cindy winked playfully and headed off to fill his order. Dante turned his attention back to Lexica; he noted that she hadn't even touched her menu.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked her curiously.

"I'm not hungry…" she lied and then, as if on cue, her stomach growled loudly again, making her eyes widen at the not-so-perfect timing.

"Sure doesn't sound like you're not hungry," Dante teased. Lexica glared slightly before sighing and explaining.

"I've…I've never eaten in a place like this…I just know you need money; I don't want you to waste your money on me, I'm not worth it…" she said, hugging herself with her arm and looking away. Dante rolled his eyes; this poor girl thought awfully badly about herself. The demon-hunter couldn't understand why, really; she looked attractive enough, nice eyes, strange taste but that intrigued him a bit, as well as the scar on her face. It made her look tough and mysterious.

He tried to hide the blush as he admitted these things; he was fairly good at doing so and he was grateful for it.

"Well," he spoke up again. "I don't care; order something, it's on me." Lexica widened her eyes again.

"Dante, you…you really don't have to,"—"I insist," the demon-hunter cut her off, playfully looking at her with one steely-blue eye while shrouding the other in his silver hair. Lexica rolled her eyes and gave in.

"Well, then, what do_ you_ suggest? I've never eaten at a place like this, remember?" she questioned quietly. Dante chuckled quietly and looked in the direction of the waitress.

"Cindy," he called out to the young woman. She looked at him immediately before skating her way over to their table.

"Yes, Dante?" she asked.

"Give me two of the usual instead," he told her. Cindy giggled before taking back the menu she had given Lexica and skating off.

"Coming right up!" she called out before going out of sight. Lexica raised a brow.

"Usual? What do you usually eat here, Dante?" she questioned her silver-haired host curiously. The demon-hunter looked back to her and smiled.

"Don't worry," he replied. "I'm sure you'll like it; probably a lot better than what you've been eating…which was what again?" he questioned. Lexica shrugged and hung her head at this; today was going to be a _long_ day. Nevertheless, she began.

"Remember how I told you I was in a training facility?" she asked quietly so only his ears could listen. She looked up and saw him nod once. She continued. "We didn't get fed…we had to _hunt_ for our food. Everyday was a test; if you failed, you were punished. Hunting was one of those tests," she explained, her voice turning bitter.

"They would line us up outside the facility. They told us we could only run once they said so. Afterwards, they would bring out smaller, lesser demons; creatures born of pure darkness. They were like canines; each stood at least three feet tall and walked on all fours. They held them back on chains…and set them free into the woods.

"After about five minutes, they told us to go after them; anyone who left before they called…was taken away and never seen afterwards." Her eyes were severe with these words; Dante's face stayed impassive, however, and his eyes urged her to continue. "The hunt wasn't all that pleasant, either. The woods were said to have other creatures haunting them and looking for prey as well. They were riddled to have the spirits of evil demons, who _can_ and _will_ physically injure you for kicks and to fulfill their own hunger.

"Nevertheless, those brave enough, or stupid enough, silently made their way in; I was of these special few who were just starving and desperate for food. We had not eaten for at least two days and this was our only chance. Not to mention, our survival literally depended on it. The sound of a loud horn would indicate the end of the hunt; anyone who didn't come back was either dead or too far to hear it. Either way, they wouldn't come back and, if they did, punishment ensued for their lateness."

"What about you?" Dante asked suddenly. "How long have you been in the human world? And what have you been eating during this time?" Lexica shrugged at the question before biting down on her lip and playing with her hair once more.

"At least a month, I think…"she responded anxiously. "And I've been hunting, eating any lesser demons that have been coming into this world as well…as rodents." Dante widened his eyes a bit at this. "Not the best tasting meat," Lexica mumbled. "It was either that or starve to myself death; that facility did teach me one good thing, I suppose…"

"That would be?" Dante questioned.

"Survival of the fittest; use whatever resources available and live off whatever you can find. You'd be surprised what you'll do to stay alive," she explained, glaring at the table's surface before her. Before Dante could question her any further, their meals were placed on the table.

"There you go, Dante," Cindy said cheerily as she put a hand on her hip and winked. "Fresh out of the oven; once you finish, I'll serve you your desserts." With that being said, the girl skated off to serve more customers. Dante smiled at the pizza before him and then looked to Lexica, who was simply staring at the round piece of food as it was the most alien thing she had ever seen. The silver-haired demon-hunter chuckled at her expression. Lexica looked up at him and glared.

"What!?" she demanded icily. "This isn't like any food I've ever seen…"

"It's a pizza," Dante explained as he picked up a slice in his gloved hand and then bit into it, chewing and swallowing afterwards. "Try it." The demon-girl still looked skeptical but picked up a slice in her hand, just as Dante had done, and looked at it curiously before cautiously biting into it. Her eyes widened; it was warm and her taste buds tingled with flavors she had never, in her life, experienced. Chewing and swallowing, she looked up to Dante.

"What's on this …pizza? It tastes amazing!" she asked eagerly. Her host smiled at her; he had just finished his second slice and was about to bite into his third.

"Mostly cheese, tomato sauce, bread,"—"Whatever it is," Lexica cut him off suddenly.

"I love it!"

Dante chuckled some more at this and continued munching on his meal.

"Good to hear," he mumbled as Lexica took an eager bite out of her ever-so-delicious food. For a few more minutes or so, it was silent. Once they finished, Cindy came to their table and took their plates away. A little while later, she served them both strawberry sundaes. It was a repeat of the pizza.

"Now what're you serving me?" Lexica asked, skepticism returned to her voice as she looked down at the pink dessert before her. Another laugh escaped Dante's lips.

"After the pizza, do you honestly believe I'd offer you something bad?" he questioned teasingly before taking a small spoonful of ice cream to his mouth. The white-haired demon before him shrugged before picking up the spoon as Dante was doing. She stared at the utensil curiously before taking a small scoop of the treat in the metal tool and holding it up to her mouth. With a sigh, she finally ate it. Just like the pizza, her eyes widened; this was a completely new taste. It was very cold but sweet with small pieces of something in it.

"Strawberry," Dante said, as he could basically read her mind.

"What?" Lexica asked curiously.

"Those little things inside the ice cream; they're pieces of strawberry. Not bad, right?" he responded, taking another spoonful of it to his mouth. The young woman smiled and continued eating the delightful sweet. Soon, they finished and Dante paid the small tab. Afterwards, the two left, Dante leading before Lexica. It stayed silent for a few moments before the half-breed spoke up and broke said silence.

"How'd you get it?" he mumbled silently.

"Huh?" the demon-girl questioned, looking up to him as she came up beside him.

"The scar on your face," Dante explained.

"How'd you get it?

D—M—C

**A/N: (intended for DeviantART readers) **OMG, after so long, I finally wrote this chapter O.O I apologize for the mega delay -nervous laugh- but, uh…I had serious writer's block .-. But, please, I hope you like, please R&R, no flames ;) thanks! Also, sorry of Dante seems a little OOC; it's really hard to write a character like him and I had to beat around the bush…a lot D:


	4. Indecisive

_**Fear Is an Illusion**_

**Disclaimer: **I Don't Own_ Devil May Cry_ in Any Way. It is Rightfully Owned and Copyrighted to Capcom.

**Rating: **PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language, Blood, Gore, and Certain Themes.

**A/N: **Please enjoy!

D—M—C

_**Mission 4: **__Indecisive _

Lexica's eyes grew slightly and she brought her hand up to the scar that resided upon the right side of her face. It was smooth against her skin and plainly noticeable compared to her pale skin. She shrugged before letting her arm fall back to her side. She continued walking ahead of Dante.

"There's not a lot to it, I mean, it's just a scar…" she mumbled and kept on. Dante didn't buy it and he followed behind her. They made it to a street and he placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her just before the red light turned green and the cars started. Lexica looked up to him curiously. He smiled kindly at her.

"You have to pay attention around here," he advised playfully. "Otherwise, you'll get run over." Lexica smiled back and placed her hand on his and squeezing it.

"You're much nicer than what I imagined," she mumbled to him. Dante let her tighten her hand around his as she spoke; he figured she was seeking comfort and it was working.

"How so?" he questioned, his voice soft and gentle.

"Well,"—"Hold that thought," Dante interrupted suddenly. "Let's go to the park; it's nicer there." His hand slipped off her shoulder and the green light went red. He began walking, his boots clicking against the ground below his feet. Lexica, although slightly confused, followed silently behind him across the street. They continued walking for a little longer before Dante turned into an area where kids ran together, playing with dogs and parents. Although they were a strange bunch, no one seemed to pay too much attention to neither Dante nor Lexica. They came up to a wooden bench and Dante took a seat with more than enough space next to him for Lexica. The she-devil shrugged and sat down at his side.

Her icy-blue eyes scanned the area around her; a green field with several children and dogs of many breeds played mainly in the center. Around the field was a wide sidewalk that encircled it completely. Upon this sidewalk were people riding bikes, skating, running and walking while some listened to their walkmans or MP3 player's. It was a large area that was mainly rectangular shaped. Each corner had a nice fountain where birds and squirrel's scurried off or hid in nearby trees. Lexica smiled; it was relaxing.

"You have a very nice home," she said, looking back to Dante. He smiled as he leaned back on the bench and spread his arms upon it and hung his silver bangs in front of his eyes.

"It has its perks, I guess," he responded. "You have the open fields and slightly crowded cities; I suppose that's a win-win situation." Lexica shrugged contently as she continued staring at everything around her and taking in all the sights and smells she had missed even though she had been in this world for a month.

"I had never been around here," she told her silver-haired host.

"You've been running for a month now, right? You probably missed a lot, or weren't able to pay attention to it," Dante said lazily. "Paranoia can do that to you." Lexica frowned suddenly.

"Yeah…" she mumbled sadly. It stayed silent for a while.

"Dante…?" her voice spoke up once more as she hung her head low, her multi-colored bangs hiding her eyes.

"Hmm?" the devil-hunter responded without looking back to Lexica.

"Tonight…the hunt for me starts all over again," the she-devil began quietly. "During my training, they told me that it's better to hunt than to be hunted…I'm realizing, now, how true that is." Her voice almost cracked with every thought that was currently running through her mind. "I don't want to be hunted…and, if this is how my life is going to be…then I think I'd rather just let them kill me. A life spent running isn't a life; it's just as bad as the torturing they used to give disobedient demons…" she shut her blue eyes closed and tried to repress the tears.

"You're a lot stronger than you lead on, you know?" Dante asked in the same impassive tone as usual. Lexica shot her head up and looked up at him.

"What do you mean!? I can't fight them!" she denied immediately.

"You're already a traitor in their eyes," Dante explained as he looked over at her with his steely blue eyes piercing straight through her soul. "You can either fight for what _you _want or die trying. If you give up, you'll die with that on your mind. Do you honestly want to die giving up?" His words rang through Lexica's mind before she looked away.

"I'm not like you, Dante…" she mumbled. "I can't bring myself to fight them…I'm pathetic."

"I had to pick sides, too, Lexica," Dante explained. "Half-breed, remember? I could've fought for the demons but I chose to fight for humans, to protect them. And I don't care how many demons try to kill me; I still fight for what _I _want." The demon hung her head shamefully and held back her feelings. Dante stood up and left her guns next to her on the bench. "When you've made you decision," he told her sternly, causing her to look up at him.

"You know where to find me." With that being said, he began walking in the direction they had come from. Lexica looked to her belonging and then back to Dante's back.

"But…But, Dante, what if I make the wrong decision!?" she called out to him nervously. He didn't bother stopping but his response was loud enough for her to hear.

"Who knows?"

D—M—C

Lexica spent the rest of the day to herself, walking through the busier part of town, thinking on her next move. She had already equipped her belongings back onto her thigh and hips but, although she was grateful to have her things back, they weren't the main thing on her mind at the moment. Dante's words continued echoing through her cranium like an annoying little mosquito. She looked over her options.

She could keep running for the rest of her life until something finally brought her down. What good would that do, however? That would probably just send her to an early grave; this one month had already taken its toll on her. She was constantly paranoid and the simplest of movements, like walking as she was now, made her grow weary. She could already feel her legs burning at this moment and all she had done was walk today, and not a lot of it, either.

She could surrender herself back to hell. But that would just earn her more scars, wouldn't it? Punishment for what she's done would be severe and, certainly, they'd overdo it all and just torture her until she was killed or until they were satisfied. Not to mention, she would immediately be seen as a problem; restraining would be inevitable and other demons would still bother her most of the time, with either crude comments or physical pain. What better was that from her current lifestyle?

Lastly, of course, there was siding with Dante. She could become a demon-hunter and fight to protect these creatures known as humans. It certainly sounded better then running for her own life; at least, this way, she was protecting others from a horrible death by devils. However, she would need to get accustomed to fighting demons much stronger than what she's been killing lately. Lesser demons were much weaker but full-fledge ones were what had been sent to come and get her; they were much stronger and weren't mindless pawns. She'd need more training.

Lexica growled lowly at the thought. Training, after what she had been put through, didn't sound like any fun at all. Not to mention, where would she _get_ said training? She had no idea whether or not Dante would do it, or if he even had the patience to put up with her. She could offer him pay…but, then, where would _she_ get the money? Managing training _and_ a job didn't sound exactly easy…but wouldn't it be worth it?

She'd work side-by-side with Dante and, when she was with him she felt safe from danger of any kind; she owes him her life after what he did when they first met. That was another thing; she had never properly thanked the demon-hunter for saving her. She just bitched about everything that had happened to her and accused him of being hired to kill her. She did have reason but, still, it was bugging her now.

Sighing, she reached her hand up and tucked some hair behind her ear. What Dante told her came to mind: _I had to pick sides, too. _She wondered what his usual lifestyle was like. She heard many rumors about him; some were true while others were pure lies made up to scare whoever heard them. One she heard was that Dante had no mercy; his demon-like nature prevented him from giving mercy; this was a lie. With evil demons he was heartless but, he gave her sympathy when he could've killed her.

Also, he wasn't necessarily demon-like; he looked like a human, obviously because of his human side, but he wasn't as horrible as most demons were. He was actually sweet, with a kindness in his steely blue eyes that Lexica couldn't help but trust. He was different; neither human nor demon but both. He was literally what they had called him; a half-breed. There was no other definition for him but that.

Lexica was no half-breed, however; would she have the same options as Dante? Was it possible for a full-fledge demon to become a hunter of her own kind? She had heard stories of demons who have converted to living as humans but still being demons; these were usually seen as traitors but ignored because they didn't harm anyone from the devil world. But what if she _did_ injure her own? Would she be ignored, too, or killed for her betrayal? Needless to say, she was quite confused and unsure.

She sighed again and looked up; she had just reached an intersection. She stopped and smiled, in spite of everything, and remembered earlier when Dante had stopped her right before a car went by; that was the second time he had saved her. She placed her hand on the shoulder where his hand had been at the time, only to find that he was no longer with her. This caused her to frown as she realized that she missed his presence. She looked to the street; the light turned red and she saw the cars stop. Carefully, she began to cross the asphalt road, her hand sliding back down to her side.

Her eyes wandered all around her surroundings; gray building, black ground, and cars in dull yet shiny reds, blues or blacks. Lights indicated when people in said cars would stop and go as well as metallic signs such as the red ones that read STOP or the yellow, triangular ones with pictures or words upon them in black. She crossed the street and turned left to walk down that side walk instead of continuing straight. After a few moments of hearing the slight pounding of her own boots, she then heard the cars she had just been walking in front of moments ago begin to start up and zoom away to whatever destination their driver had in mind.

If only making this decision was as easy as picking a destination. Lexica shrugged and continued on her walk, her equipment clicking silently with each step.

D—M—C

The door to _Devil May Cry_ opened to Dante and he stepped in, letting his door close behind him. Patty, who in front of the small TV to the left of the room, looked up to him and smiled.

"Hey Dante," she greeted cutely. The half-breed smiled as he stripped away his red coat and threw it upon his desk.

"Hey Patty," he responded. "What'cha watching today?" he asked, not completely interested but attempting to make some conversation. Also, if he was her current guardian, until her mother came by, he might as well make sure she wasn't watching anything inappropriate, no matter what she had already been put to in the past year or so.

"Just some cartoons; my soap operas don't come on until a little later," she replied. The silver-haired Dante smiled.

"Good," he told her and then walked up to his pool table. It was then that Patty took notice that someone was missing.

"Where's Lexica?" she asked curiously. Dante looked up to her, his eyes serious.

"She has a decision to make," Dante began as he started to set up the pool balls.

"What decision?" Patty asked him curiously. Dante shrugged silently as he prepared to hit the cue ball.

"An important one," her guardian responded.

"She's either a traitor or an enemy."

D—M—C

**A/N: **The last line, for anyone who doesn't get it, basically means that Lexica's either a traitor to her own kind or an enemy to Dante :) please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames ;D thanks!


End file.
